A New Journey
by Oranus
Summary: It's always been Victoria's goal to be a Pokémon Trainer-and with her new Charmander, she can be. With her friends-Simon the Pokémon Coordinator, Ella the Pokémon Nurse and Hugo, the Pokémon Tamer, her journey will take her through all of Kanto, winning battles and growing stronger. But a new force in Kanto rises-the nefarious Team Rocket. And with their plans, no one is safe.
1. The Journey Begins

Victoria looked out the window, her long black hair swaying in the gentle breeze. The dawn was red and new, beautiful in every way. Today was a good day. Today she'd become a Pokémon Trainer, and she would become the Champion of Kanto.

She had already sat the exam Professor Oak had given her to obtain her Trainer card. She still hadn't gotten it yet, but she knew she had passed. Otherwise Professor Oak wouldn't have personally asked her to come. She'd gone pretty well on the test, save for the medical and grooming aspects of it-the test requires the person taking it to show common sense and practicality when handling Pokémon, as well as a short written exam on Pokémon care.

She began to change out of her pyjamas and into her travelling jear-a black miniskirt, a red top, braided hair, and on her left hand, a fingerless glove, a keepsake from her brother, who was currently in Johto becoming a Trainer. Harry had had it made in Goldenrod City there, and had given it to her two weeks ago.

Still, her mind wandered to her adventures. She wasn't going alone-already her friends Simon and Ella had agreed to come with her on their journey. Neither of them were particularly interested in battling with Pokémon-Simon had already expressed his idea of becoming a Pokémon Coordinator-someone who participated in Pokemon Contests-more than once, with his sister being a huge Coordinator already. Ella didn't really enjoy battling her Pokémon, because she preferred to study them. Because of this, she had decided to become a Pokémon Nurse.

Victoria was glad for the company-she imagined walking the roads alone and shivered at the thought. She was also glad that they had persuaded her parents to let her become a Trainer. She was fifteen now, and every year since her tenth birthday she had begged her parents to make her a Trainer. With Simon and Ella, they were perfectly happy for that to happen.

Dressed and ready to go, Victoria headed out of her room, walking down the stairs. Her mother and father were in the kitchen, her mother preparing pancakes, her father at the table, wolfing some down. Victoria smiled at them as she took her place at the table. "I'm off soon."

"You'll stay in contact?" asked her mother, who pushed a plate in front of her and planted four pancakes dripping with maple syrup and ice cream. "Eat that up, honey, you'll need your strength. Simon can cook, right?"

"Oh, yeah," replied Victoria, already shoving a bit of pancake in her mouth. "He's pretty good."

"Wonderful." Victoria's mother beamed at her as she looked out the window. "Hurry up and eat your pancakes. Oh, this is such a special day, the day my girl finally goes out to see the world!" She hurried into the living room quite quickly, her grin growing wider by the second.

Her father finished his pancakes just then, smiling broadly as he yawned. "Oh, those were good." He sat up and winked at Victoria. "Good luck, sweetie."

"Thanks, Dad." Victoria finished her pancakes as well, heading into the living room. Her mother had assembled her bag together-a change of clothes, a few materials for washing, food to last a week, a tent for sleeping in, as well as a sleeping bag. A few other things, such as a novel, were packed on top as well. Everything was being put delicately inside a backpack her mother had left out that was quite big to hold everything.

"Here," smiled her mother, handing her the backpack. "This is your backpack. It has most of your stuff in it. There's also a water bottle. Will you be heading off now?"

Victoria slid the backpack around her shoulders. It felt good against her skin. "I like it."

"Great." Her mother kissed her on the forehead once again. "I know you'll be a great Trainer, like your brother. Stay with Simon and Ella-they're good friends. And don't run into dangerous situations. Pokémon can be dangerous."

"I know." They hugged and Victoria headed for the door. "You'll come to see me off, when I've gotten everything I need?"

"Of course, honey."

"Alright." Victoria headed outside, the door slamming shut behind her. Even though she was glad to be leaving on her journey, she felt an odd sensation when it closed, like it would be shut to her forever.

She headed down the track, the sun slowly but surely rising above the skyline. A few Pidgey flew from the trees. She smiled to herself as she saw a pair of Rattata scurry on the path, carrying a piece of broken honeycomb between them.

The fields outside were full of Pokémon Professor Oak had for study purposes. She went to look out on the fence, the dawn casting beautiful shadows on the ground. A herd of Tauros charged past her, bellowing and snorting. Another group of Ponyta galloped across the plains, their flaming manes dancing in the new sunlight, casting unique shadows against the grass. They were led by a single Rapidash, who sped across the fields in a blur of fire and hooves.

Across the field, a single Rhyhorn slept under the shade of a gigantic oak tree. A groupmof Oddish circled around a Vileplume, looking happy and cheerful. In a pond at the edge of the group, Goldeen, Staryu and Horsea swam together in delight. Victoria smiled to herself as she watched the Pokémon, knowing she would soon be abke to catch them.

"Well, well, well. Look who it is."

Damn. She forgot Rick was getting his first Pokémon today as well. She turned around to face the familiar sandy-blonde hair, the harsh grey-green eyes, the arrogant sneer. Today he chose to wear a plain white top and long jeans.

"So, you're getting a Pokémon?" He smiled mockingly. "Oh, wait. You don't have a Trainer card. Unlike some people I should mention."

"You don't have a Trainer card!" snapped Victoria. "None of us do!"

Rick smirked once again, creating a powerful urge to punch him that Victoria had to struggle with. "Oh, really?" He whipped out a card with a slight dramatic flair, his smirk never faltering. Victoria snatched it from him, looking at the card.

It had his face and full name on it, as well as a Trainer ID. Rick's signature was on the back. Victoria knew what this meant. "You're a Trainer."

Rick Ashman. Trainer. He had grown up a bully, picking on everyone he met. Still, he managed to form a clique. But now his clique was gone, replaced by creatures able to cause incredible harm. Victoria felt her stomach feel a bit weak.

"Now, if you'll excuse me," drawled Rick, walking further down the path. "I have a Pokémon to collect."

Victoria fumed after him, sprinting down the hill. Below, Simon and Ella were waiting. Simon stood still, thinking, the wind gently blowing his thick brown hair. His blue eyes were framed by glasses and he wore a blue top. His jeans were looking perfect, not a wrinkle or crease. That was Simon, wanting to look immaculate.

Ella, next to him, looked much more different. A year older than Victoria, her long blonde hair was tied into a tight bun in the back of her head. Her big green eyes made her look more vulnerable and innocent. She wore a white top and a purple miniskirt. On her sleeves, first-aid symbols showed.

"Oh! Victoria," smiled Ella. Her smile was so infectious, Victoria had to smile back. Ella's mum had been adamant in not letting her become a Pokémon Trainer-her father had left them to pursue his dream of becoming a Pokémon Master. Being allowed this chance, she was happier than ever.

"Hey, guys," Victoria said casually. "How are you?"

"Everything's going great!" beamed Ella. "Simon and I were discussing what Pokémon we wanted. I wanted a Bulbasaur-they've got certain aspects that can help me help Pokémon!"

"And I want a Squirtle," added Simon. "I think a Squirtle would help me with Pokémon Contests. I like Water-types, I think they have a certain aspect most Pokémon lack."

"Hah!"

Rick had arrived. Simon immediately glared at him-Rick had made fun of his ambition to become a Pokémon Coordinator more than once. Ella whimpered and stepped back, trying to appear as small as possible-Ella had been bullied mercilessly by Rick during her childhood, and she had never gotten over it.

"What's so funny?" asked Simon threateningly.

"The idea that you lot want the regular starters. Why would you want what everyone else has?" He fixed Victoria a grin. "I guess you'll be wanting Charmander, just to complete the full set."

Victoria blushed. She actually had wanted to pick Charmander as her starter-the idea of controlling a gigantic, monstrous Charizard seemed almost legendary to her.

"So what'll you be getting?" She meant to ask it scathingly, but it turned out to sound much more curious.

Rick smiled his cocky smile. "Professor Oak has prepared a special Pokémon for me. I'm not going to spoil what it is, because it's the best, and it'll beat every single one of your Pokémon, bare-handed."

"Students!"

Professor Oak had opened the door to his laboratory. The four of them had been inside loads of times before-Professor Oak was their teacher. He taught them maths and English and science, but most of all, he taught them about Pokémon. He showed Victoria and Rick battling strategies, type charts, ideas for move combos. He taught Simon about the natural connection Pokémon had, as well as the way Pokémon behaved. To Ella, he gave her medical supplies and medical knowledge, with her having an entire archive of notes about Pokémon biology and sickness.

Others were in their class, but they hadn't taken the test this month. Professor Oak catered to each student, helping them discover their passions and nurturing them. The children adored him, and he loved them back.

"Come in," smiled Oak, opening the door wide. They walked into the lab as they had dizens of times before, entering the lab. Machines were set up around the place. Desks littered with sheets of paper lined the walls. Professor Oak took them to his desk, where a briefcase sat.

"Are our Pokémon in there?" asked Victoria hopefully, nodding to the briefcase. Her heart was pounding with excitement. There was her Pokémon. Her very first Pokémon.

Professor Oak nodded, opening the briefcase with a small click. Inside, cradled by velvet ribbons, were four Poke Balls. Victoria had researched them once-Poke Balls contained Pokémon. She wondered which one contained Charmander.

"But first," Oak insisted. He handed Victoria, Simon and Ella their Trainer cards. Victoria looked at the picture and at her name. She smiled and pocketed it-she would sign it later.

"Now, on to business," smiled Oak, nodding. "First, a gift from me." He handed each one of them a package wrapped in paper-Victoria was given one wrapped in crimson paper. Simon was opening one that was wrapped in dark blue paper. Ella had one that was presented in pale pink paper, with a white ribbon binding it all. Rick was already tearing into the dark purple paper of his gift.

Inside, odd manufactions had been placed. Each was identical to each other, except for the colour-each one was the colour it was wrapped in.

"It's a Pokédex!" The professor beamed at them. "I made them myself! It's a record of information about Pokémon! Scan it with your Pokédex, and it can give you information about the Pokémon it scans, as well as scanning any Pokémon moves and abilities you may come across."

Victoria grinned as she pocketed it. "Perfect."

"Now, I have two cases for containing Badges won from Gym Leaders working for the Pokémon League," smiled Oak, holding up two identical cases. "Only two of you wish to participate in the League, right?"

He handed Victoria and Rick one each. She opened it and looked at the eight outlines in the material. "Eight?"

"Eight badges is the requirement to participate in the Pokémon League tournament," snapped Rick. "The winner of the tournament gets to challenge the Elite Four, and then the Champion."

"Cool," smiled Victoria, pocketing it as well. Simon and Ella grinned at her.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" The professor handed them five Poké Balls each, which they pocketed. "I'm not going to go over how to catch Pokémon-that was part of your exam for your licence." He gestured to the briefcase. "Now, you all know which Pokémon you want?"

"I'll pick mine first," began Rick. "Where's my Eevee?"

The professor smiled warmly at his attitude. "Patience, Rick. Today is not a day to be rushed." He picked up one of the Poké Balls and smiled at Rick as he handed it to him. Rick snatched it away, smiling to himself as he rolled the ball around in his palms.

He tossed the Poké Ball straight into the air. In a flash of light, an Eevee stood in the lab. Victoria had seen a few pictures of them, but this was the first she had seen in the flesh. She normally would have smiled and ruffled its fur, but this one looked...different. It had a mean glare in its eyes and a smirk on its face.

Rick grinned as he stroked the brown fur of his new Pokémon. "Impressive, huh?" he gloated. "So much better than a stupid Charmander or weakling Bulbasaur." Ella blushed and hid her face in her hands.

"Now, now, Rick," chastised Oak as he gestured to Eevee. "All Pokémon have their strengths and weaknesses. Each can contribute, in battles, in Pokémon contests, and in helping protect us from people seeking us harm. Every Pokémon has their merits. You had best remember that."

Rick made a face. "That's stupid. There is two kinds of Pokémon-strong, fierce fighters who can be useful on my team, and weak, pathetic rejects that exist to bother weaker Trainers." He held up his Poké Ball. "Eevee, return!"

There was a small flash of red light and Eevee vanished inside its Poké Ball.

"Um, sir?" Ella raised one of her hands. "Uh, I was just, um, wondering..."

"May we have our Pokémon now?" asked Simon hopefully, finishing Ella's sentence for her.

Professor Oak smiled and nodded. "Yes, of course." He went over to the briefcase, smiling. "Now, who would want the Grass-type starter Bulbasaur to begin their journey?"

"Uh, me, please," Ella stammered out. Oak smiled at her, handing her a Poké Ball from the pouch. She blushed as she took it, holding it in her hands. She tossed it into the air slowly, and it bounced against the ground of the lab, flashing in a burst of white light.

A Bulbasaur swuatted on the ground, asleep. Ella smiled with joy as she knelt down to pet its head. "Oh, you're lovely, aren't you?" Victoria knew she was able to talk to Pokémon better than humans.

Ella grabbed for her notebook in her pocket, flipping to notes she had taken about the Bulbasaur line. There were only a few scrawls about their symbiotic relationship with the bulb. "Wake up, little guy," she whispered to it, nuding its bulb.

Slowly the Pokémon opened its eyes and sat up, yawning. Ella seemed to be supressing a squeal of delight. "Yes, you'll do nicely."

"Get on with it," snapped Rick. "You're making this drag out for so much longer than it has to."

Ella blushed furiously, returning Bulbasaur to its Poké Ball and attaching it to her belt.

"Me next," said Victoria, coming closer. "I have chosen Charmander, the Fire-type."

Oak smiled as she handed her the Poké Ball. Victoria felt the smooth texture, sensing the great force of life inside it. For a moment, she was lost in the captivating beauty of the energy pulsing from the ball, until she made her ball soar across the lab.

In a flash of light, a Charmander appeared on the table. It held its tail out, the flame burning brightly. It gave a squeal of delight as it saw Victoria, leaping up and grabbing her leg in a hug. Victoria was taken aback-she hadn't expected her Charmander to be so...gentle.

"It's sweet," smiled Ella as she stroked the dome of its head. "And warm too." She pulled out her notes on Charmander, scanning them quickly before nodding and writing a few lines with a pencil.

"It's weak," retorted Rick. "A strong Pokémon doesn't hug its Trainer and squeal like a girl. A strong Pokémon fights and is strong and stoic."

"Not this Pokémon," replied Simon as Victoria held up her Charmander. "This Charmander seems to be a big softie."

Victoria smiled as her Charmander cooed in delight as she tickled its warm belly. Finally, she placed it on the table, where it sat waiting.

"It's too cute," she finally said, stroking its tail, being careful not to go near the flames.

"And Squirtle," said Oak, his smile never faltering. "Who would want Squirtle?"

"I would," Simon said, reaching out to take the Poké Ball from the case. He tossed it into the air and the flash of light happened again.

But instead of a Pokémon, only a Squirtle's shell appeared, rolling on the floor.

"Oh, he's shy," Simon mused, heading over. "I'm sure I can-ARGH!"

Squirtle's blue head had poked through the shell and its jaw had clamped around Simon's hand. Simon held it up, as the Squirtle valiantly tried to bite his hand off. Rick stifled laughs as Ella gasped and Victoria looked on, dumbfounded. She hadn't expected a Squirtle to do that.

With a final tug, Simon wrenched the blue turtle from his hand, sending him flying into Rick. Rick's laughter was soon gone as Squirtle began to climb around the boy and go through his bag, ripping a hole open with its teeth and searching for something. Victoria was the one stifling laughter now.

"Squirtle, return!" cried Simon, holding out the Poké Ball. Squirtle was soon sent back as Simon began nursing his injured hand.

"Well," Oak said as silence fell. "Shall we go outside?"

Victoria eagerly complied, heading outside. Her Charmander followed after her, waddling on the floor. Rick followed as well, with Simon and Ella making up the rear, with Ella nursing the injured hand.

Once they got outside, they looked around. Victoria felt a pang of loneliness-she wouldn't see this place for a long time.

"Let's go," whispered Ella, as they headed down the track. "But...where?"

"Hmmm..." Simon held out a huge map of the Kanto region in front of him. There was a list of attractions for each city, and he noticed one to the north. "There's a gym for beginners right in Petwer City. There's also a museum, and we'll have to cross Veridian Forest to get there. The Viridian Contest in in a fortnight-it's in the same forest."

"Then let's head there," said Victoria, just as Rick ran past.

"Hey, Rick!" she called. Her Charmander smiled as she picked it up to hold in her arms. "Do you want to join us?" She knew the answer already, but she wanted to be polite. Viridian Forest was full of the wildest Pokémon, they said.

"No!" he replied, jumping over a fence. "I'm heading over to Vermillion City-where the pros are at!" He continued at the same pace through the field, leaving them disappointingly watching.

"Oh, well," muttered Simon. "There's always hope he'll be gored by a Tauros in the field." That made them all laugh as they headed down the long hill, to Viridian City.


	2. The Basics

It had been two hours since the group had set off to Viridian City.

Already they were at the bank of a small pond, eating lunch. Once again, Simon had to enjoy his mother's cooking. The chocolate cake she had made for him today just melted in his mouth-rich in texture and in taste.

His Squirtle was the only Pokémon inside its Poké Ball. Charmander was sitting next to Victoria, while Ella was focusing on trying to feed it. Already it had rejected anything plant-based, which everyone had been expecting. What they were not expecting was for him to grab a slab of steak Ella had decided to pack and use its tail to cook it. Already it was chomping away at the meat, while Ella was grinning and taking notes on its diet.

Bulbasaur was less keen on, well, anything, really. It sat in the sun, snoozing away. Ella had tried to take notes, but she decided to wait until it woke up before she started.

Victoria was munching on a sandwich, her hair tied in a ponytail. She was currently discussing what Pokémon she wanted to catch first, Simon talking with her and Ella occasionally joining in.

"I really want a Flying Pokémon," she said as she swallowed her sandwich. "Y'know, like Pidgey or Spearow. I'd like one of those."

Simon nodded. His thpughts kept wandering to his Squirtle-how its attack had startled him, maybe even scared him. Fine, okay. He was a little scared of his Squirtle.

He had always imagined Squirtle to be nice and gentle. Like what most Water-types seemed to be in his head. But that wasn't the case. Not at all.

"I'd like a Pokémon that was cute," he said after a while. "That could captivate an audience. That was able to move with grace and elegance, but also with raw power and passion."

Victoria smiled at him. "You never change. Remember that time when you had just come here from Saffron City, and you were trying to dress up that Ponyta from the field?"

"It was a nice outfit!" he insisted as the girls laughed. "Anyway, there's load of Pokémon around. I'm sure we can find a Flying-type for you before we reach Viridian City."

"It's only half an hour before we reach Viridian City at all," replied Ella, who had finished taking notes and had slotted the pencil in her ear. She looked out into the distance, with the wind blowing her long blonde hair around her face. "I wonder how Rick is going."

"He's heading for Vermillion City," replied Victoria, with a tone that said that she didn't care. "We won't see him for a while." She sighed. "And that's a shame. I really wanted to beat him in a battle."

"Well, you can," said Simon. "But first, you're going to have to battle someone. You two could battle." He gestured to both of them.

"Oh, no!" said Ella at once. "I can't fight you! I can't fight anyone! I help people!"

"We know," replied Simon. "It was only a suggestion." He didn't bring up the fact that he could easily fight Victoria as well, but didn't want to-Squirtle was just too disobediant to do so. And he had a feeling that Charmander was more interested in being friends and hugging people then battling.

"Well, I'm off to go and catch a new Pokémon," Victoria decided. "Simon, wanna come?"

He shrugged. "Sure. I'll see if I'll catch anything too." He jumped up to follow her. "Ella, you coming?"

"No," she replied, still staring at the horizon. "I'll be waiting here."

So the two of them headed off into the distance. Unusually, there seemed to be a distinct lack of Pokémon around. Victoria sighed. "Well, there's hope for trying." Her Charmander beside her nodded; she smiled at it it smiled back.

Simon also felt disappointed. He was hoping for something amazing; a Pokémon that was obedient and strong and fierce.

Suddenly Charmander's senses began to pick up. It yowled and pointed at a bush as Victoria crept closer. Immediately a Rattata burst from the bushes, screeching.

"Oh, a Rattata!" cried Victoria, holding out her Pokédex. "My first Pokémon battle!"

"**Rattata, the Mouse Pokémon**," said the Pokédex in its mechanical voice. "**Its fangs are long and very sharp. It grows continuously, so it gnaws on hard things to whittle them down**."

"Cool," grinned Victoria. "Okay, Charmander, prepare for battle! Tackle!"

Charmander just stood by her side. The Rattata looked at them with what Simon percieved as disgust and scampered away.

"What? No! Come back!" Victoria pointed at the Rattata. "Tackle, Charmander! Use your Tackle attack! Go!"

Charmander stayed perfectly still, although it looked a bit confused.

"Do you even know Tackle?" asked Victoria. Charmander shook its head. Victoria rolled her eyes. "Fine. We'll try on another Pokémon." She scanned the area desperately, trying to find a Pokémon. "Ah! There. There's a Caterpie. Charmander, use Scratch!"

Charmander rushed forward, its arm glowing. It slashed its claws across Caterpie's back, leaving glowing scratch marks.

The Caterpie cried out as it fell over. "Ah! Now I've got you." Victoria tossed a Poké Ball right at the injured Bug Pokémon, but it just bounced off and landed on the dirt.

"It's fainted," commented Simon. "You did take that test on how to catch and care for Pokémon, right?"

"Um..." Victoria blushed as she remembered her mistake. "Never mind. There's a Pidgey!" She pointed her Pokédex at it. "**Pidgey, the Tiny Bird Pokémon. It is docile and prefers to avoid conflict. If disturbed, however, it can ferociously strike back**."

"Scratch, Charmander!"

Charmander Scratched the Pidgey just as it began to fly away. It gave a small cry before slamming its body right into Charmander and staying put.

"Now, take this!" Victoria tossed her Poké Ball straight in the air. With a flash of red light, the Poké Ball caught the Pidgey in its hold. The ball dropped to the ground and began to shake, Pidgey trying to escape.

After what seemed like forever, the Poké Ball clicked, signifying a capture. Victoria raised her arms in victory. "Yes! I did it! I caught a Pokémon!"

"Good job," Simon said, smiling. "Now, let's get back so we can get to Viridian before lunch."

"Sure." Victoria's grin was huge and infectious. "Let's head back. I'm so excited!"

"Good for you," replied Simon. "It took way too long, though. Seriously, we took a test on it last week."

Victoria rolled her eyes. "I forget things. Anyway, let's go."

They headed to the pond, where Ella was stroking her Bulbasaur, who was awake. He was yawning as she smiled and patted his forehead.

"Hey, guys," she said as they approached. "Did you get any new Pokémon?"

"I caught a Pidgey!" cried Victoria. "It was so exciting."

"It also took three tries," commented Simon as he lay down on his back, hands resting his head.

Victoria blushed a bright red as Ella smiled. "That's okay. We all make mistakes. Anyway, Victoria, I decided to take you up on your offer."

"What?" asked Victoria. "A Pokémon battle?"

"Yes, between you and me. Just Bulbasaur and Charmander." She smiled and her Bulbasaur smiled too. "We just decided."

"Oh, God," groaned Simon. "Don't tell me you're becoming a couple with your Pokémon. It's happened before. A ballet dancer fell in love with his Kirlia and married her. And some lady became really close to her Dunsparce. And what's with the we?"

"Pokémon training is built upon mutual trust and friendship," Ella informed him. "I'm just becoming friends with my only Pokémon."

"Yeah, that's how you try it. We all have different methods."

Victoria rolled her eyes. "When you two are done fighting, can we begin the battle? I'm itching to try out Charmander against a Trainer."

"Same with Bulbasaur," replied Ella confidently.

Simon looked at her oddly. "What's up with you today? You never used to be like this at Pallet Town. You were so shy."

She shrugged. "I got a Pokémon."

"Fair enough," muttered Victoria. "Over there. Let's battle. Simon, you can be judge."

"Um...what does that mean?" Simon didn't like not knowing the meaning to things, especially when it came to Pokémon.

"Oh, never mind." Victoria jumped up, Ella following her, both heading to a clear space of land. Bulbasaur trotted after Ella, its bulb pulsing in the sun. Charmander followed Victoria to her side of the battlefield, its fire growing hotter and larger as the tension grew.

And then the battle began.

"Charmander, Scratch!" cried Victoria. Charmander yelled a battle cry as it flung itself towards Bulbasaur, its claws glowing.

"Dodge it, Bulbasaur!" yelled Ella, but it was no use. Bulbasaur was slashed across the face by fearsome claws. It wimpered in pain. "Fine then. Leech Seed, let's go!"

Bulbasaur smiled as its bulb lit up with a bright green glow. Four seeds flew from the top, spinning in a circle. Bulbasaur yelled its own battle cry as the seeds flew towards Charmander, bursting against its skin, leaving green marks.

"How does Bulbasaur know that?" asked Simon. "Did you teach him?"

Ella didn't reply as Victoria started again. "Scratch, Charmander, let's go!"

But Charmander's Scratch wasn't working well-it was glowing green. Bulbasaur's bulb was also growing the same colour, growing brighter as Charmander's glow dimmed.

Finally, Charmander jumped up, claws growing. He slashed at Bulbasaur again, much to Bulbasaur's annoyance. "Bulbasaur, use Growl!"

Bulbasaur growled a little bit at Charmander, just as the process of Leech Seed began again. "What does Growl do?" Victoria whispered to Simon. He shrugged-he didn't want to play favourites.

"Okay, Charmander-Scratch!"

Charmander's claws glowed white once again. The scratch happened again without fail. Bulbasaur was still standing as Charmander gasped for breath.

"Bulbasaur, use a Tackle."

Bulbasaur ploughed into Charmander, knocking the orange lizard across the field, unconsious. "Charmander is unable to battle!" declared Simon. "Ella is the victor!"

Victoria gathered up her Charmander. "It's okay, Charmander," she told it as she returned it to its Poké Ball. "You did good." She turned to Ella, stunned. "I didn't know you were so good at battling," she said, confused and amazed at the same time.

Ella blushed. "My cousin always told me about how I'd be a great Trainer like him. But I don't want to be a Trainer-I want to be a nurse." She smiled. "Well, we'd better be off. Viridian City's only half an hour away."

Simon silently wondered shy she would want to be a Pokémon nurse if she could command and take control of a battle like that. But then he wondered why he wanted to be a Coordinator. Wasn't it just based upon preference? You could be whatever you wanted to be.

So they headed off for Viridian City, Victoria planning to heal up her Charmander, Ella wanting to visit the Pokémon Centre and Poké Mart and become even better as a nurse, and Simon was planning to enter the Viridian City Pokémon Contest.

At Viridian City, it would all happen.


	3. Viridian City

The Pokémon Centre was full of people waiting around. Ella stayed back, avoiding the queue. Victoria joined it as Ella and Simon decided to wait outside.

"Why do you think everyone's Pokémon are injured?" asked Simon. Ella shrugged. Even though she was a Pokémon nurse, that didn't mean she knew everything about Pokémon.

"Do you want to book a room at the Centre?" she asked. "I'll do it." She headed inside, the glass doors sliding open.

Now she had time to look around. The floor was polished beautifully, not anything on it. The walls were just like the floor, except they were a shade of red, not white. The front desk was operated by a woman with pink hair tied in an elaborate hairstyle, while odd, round pink Pokémon waddled around carrying trays of what looked like food.

"Maybe we should explore," she suggested to Simon. "I'm sure Viridian City has a few hotels, it's quite big..."

Simon agreed; they headed outside and began to walk down the street. It was a fairly busy city-people were running across it, although there were a distinct lack of tall buildings.

"Look, a Poké Mart," smiled Simon, pointing to a shop with blue walls. A shopkeeper was outside, holding a box stacked full with Potions, which Ella recognised, having used it expertly. "Finest Potions!" cried the shopkeeper, his voice loud against the quiet muffles of the street. "Potions, Poké Balls, Repels! Twenty per cent discount!"

"Let's head inside," decided Ella, already heading towards the shopkeeper. He looked tired as he held up the box and she selected a few that seemed to be in the best condition. Simon, meanwhile, headed inside.

"That'll be twelve dollars," the man told her as she selected four Potions she had deemed adequate. Potions were pretty weak, especially compared to that new substance called a Full Restore, but they would do. She handed him her card as she heard a crash inside.

"I'll be right back," she told him as she dashed inside, praying that Simon hadn't done anything stupid, but it was difficult to tell with him. Unfortunately, she was right.

"Oh, my God! Simon! And...Rick?" Rick was a surprise; he was heading to Vermillion City, what was he doing here?

The two of them were attacking each other in the middle of the shop. Shelves filled with goods were being knocked over as the two struggled, Rick gripping Simon's shirt while Simon flailed around, smashing him through stuff. The owners of the shop were shrieking for them to stop, and there were no other customers.

"Stop!" she cried, and the two of them looked at her, Simon flat on his back and Rick about to throw a punch. They froze in place as they started at her, as if she was the one out of the ordinary by not wanting to destroy someone she disliked.

Boys.

"My shop!" cfied a woman in the corner. "You've ruined my shop!" She fixed an angry stare on both of them. "You'll both be cleaning this up! And I'll notify the police!"

Rick looked shocked, while Simon looked absolutely mortified. "Uh..." Simon began, but he actually seemed to forget how to finish.

"Excuse me, ma'am." Ella walked in, quickly and efficiently. "These two were just having a small scuffle. It is their fault that they forgot to take it outside, but I don't think we need to tell the police that. Can I pay for any broken or damaged equipment?"

Several hours later, the three of them were finally allowed to leave. They had to clean the whole shop, as well as find out how much the broken items cost before paying it. Ella realised she might never be able to buy anything again.

"What were you two doing?" she demanded. "Punching each other up like that."

Rick sneered at her. "Just butt out, princess. This isn't about you."

And right there, she fell silent. Every time he insulted her, every time he belittled her, she lost the ability to speak. It was something that infuriated her to no end, and had made his bullying over the years worse. Even as he said those words, she was remembering the time he locked her in a paddock with rampaging Tauros everywhere. The time he stole all her sweets she had gotten for Halloween. The time he had taunted her about her dreams to be a nurse, to help people.

"We don't have time for this," snapped Simon, grapping Ella's wrist and trying to pull her along. She complied, the memories still fresh in her mind, as they headed across the street to the Pokémon Centre.

"That jerk!" cried Simon as they made it behind the Pokémon Centre, where a Pokémon battlefield had been prepared for Trainers in need. "He started the fight, and he makes you feel terrible! What does he want?"

She shrugged. "Can we find Victoria?"

"Sure. Then we'll go grab something to eat."

She nodded, turning around and heading over to sit on the bench. She quietly urged herself not to cry-she was sixteen, for God's sake, not four. But the memories kept flooding back, just like they did every time she saw him, every time he taunted her.

"Hey, guys!" Victoria was out of the Centre, her Charmander smiling beside her. It seemed to enjoy Victoria's company, and didn't like going in its Poké Ball. Ella liked it too-a cute little bundle of sweetness, as her grandmother would say.

But Bulbasaur was different. It wasn't sweet and gentle, like Charmander, but it wasn't aggresive, like Squirtle. It was just...always sleeping.

There was that time she managed to teach it Leech Seed by telling it about the move, but that felt like a rare occurance throughout their time together. And Ella desperately wanted to become close to her Bulbasaur.

"Let's go get dinner," said Simon hopefully. "We'll find a good restaurant. C'mon."

They headed down the street, the sun beginning to set. "Our first day of Pokémon training," Victoria said to them. "It's been a good day, huh?"

Simon nodded in agreement. "Yeah." He frowned in confusion. "None of these restraunts are open."

"That is because of the swarm."

They turned around to see the speaker. Wearing a black shirt and tight jeans, he looked like the epitome of wild. His red hair was wild and spiky, and left hanging past his shoulders, toussled and messy. His eyes were the colour of the sky, a nice, clear blue, and an odd pendant was around his neck. He was, easily, one of the oddest individuals Ella had seen.

"I am Hugo, by the way," the guy said. "Pokémon Tamer."

Simon frowned. "Pokémon Tamer?"

"I communicate with Pokémon using body language, gestures and more, and I help calm them in times of stress." Hugo nodded, as if this told them everything. "Similar to a Pokémon Ranger, but much more in tune with nature."

They introduced themselves too as Ella suddenly realised the yellow shape next to him. Her eyes grew wide, just like her mouth. "Oh my God-a Pikachu!" Pikachu were so cute! She dashed up to it, as the Pikachu jumped up and seemed disturbed at her display of excitement. So did Hugo.

"Keep your arms away!" He grabbed his Pikachu and held it up from her reach. "He is not a pet! He is a Pikachu!"

"He's adorable," argued Ella, but it was no use.

"Wait...what do you mean, swarm?" asked Victoria, looking pale.

Hugo shook his head. "Viridian Forest is changing. The Pokémon inside are growing restless. I've come here to handle it."

"They're going to swarm the city?" asked Ella. "What would happen?"

"We do not know. I'm urging people to stay in their homes. The Pokémon will be calmed down when I send Pikachu in, but it isn't safe to be out now. Especially at night."

"We'd better head back," Simon muttered, adjusting his glasses. "Anyway, thanks for the tip."

"That Vulpix certainly seems interested in your endeavour." Hugo pointed at a small shape in an allyway. It took Ella a second to realise that it was a cute little fox Pokémon. "What is that?" she wondered, pulling out her Pokédex and scanning the Pokémon.

"**Vulpix, the Fox Pokémon. When it is born, it has one snow-white tail. The tail splits from the tip as it grows older.**"

"It seems lonely," Victoria noticed. "Why's it in an ally like that?"

Hugo shook his head. "The poor thing. It was abandoned after its Trainer after that Trainer didn't want it anymore. It's just left here, alone."

Simon shook his head. "That's depressing. Who would abandon someone like that?"

Hugo shrugged. "I cannot speak for others." He turned around, his Pikachu dropping on all fours by his side. "Stay indoors. I shall see you around."

Ella opened the door to the hotel area of the Pokémon Centre, walking in and jumping down on a bed. Victoria sighed as she dumped her bag on the bunk on top. "I'm getting in the shower."

"There's already someone in the girl's shower," explained Simon as he hopped into his bed. "Wait."

The door to the shower opened two minutes later. In walked a simply beautiful girl that reminded Ella of girls she'd seen on magazine covers. She wore a red dress that reached her knees, and her long blonde hair was plaited into a braid that was decorated with rubies. Her left wrist had a bracelet also decorated with the precious stone, pressed into the silver metal.

"Who are you people?" she demanded.

"Oh, sorry," Ella apologised. "We booked this room. It seems that they put us together."

"Together? Together? I can't be kept in with people like you. I have a Contest in two weeks, for God's sakes, they should give me a private villa!"

"Calm down," insisted Simon. "You're a Coordinator? I am too."

She sneered at him. "You won't be half as good as me, trust me. I'm, like, perfect. Oh, I'm Annabella, by the way. Annabella Star. You've probably heard of me-the Angel from Celadon City!"

Simon shook his head. Ella felt quite annoyed-this girl was being the epitome of rude, and they seemed to be letting it slide. "No, I've never heard of you."

Immediately she seemed outraged. "Are you serious? I'm, like, the biggest new thing. I'm a part-time model. I've been critically acclaimed as a dancer, a singer, an actress and a Pokémon Coordinator."

"You're also extremely rude," retorted Simon. Ella smiled as she watched Annabella's smirk vanish.

Annabella growled and turned around, strutting out of the door and slamming it with a huff. There was a bit of a pause after she left, followed by Victoria snickering-Annabella's attempts to be dramatic had come off as hilarious instead.

"So, is that what a rival is like?" asked Simon curiously. "Now I understand why you hate Rick so much," he said to Victoria.

And speak of the devil, who should walk in but Rick? Ella groaned as he walked in, holding a bundle of warm blankets.

"What are you doing here?" asked Simon, looking at him. "What have you got there?"

"Shut up!" cried Rick, jumping into his bed. "Just leave us slone, alright?"

"Us?" asked Victoria. "Why are you saying us? Are you possessed by a Ghost Pokémon or something?"

Ella knew the reason. "There's a Pokémon in those blankets, isn't there?"

Rick didn't answer; instead, he sat up on his bed in the corner, his trademark smirk gone. He placed the blankets on his bed and they shifted a little. A small, high mewling came from the blankets, an odd sound that Ella found annoying and endearing at the same time.

"I found Sandshrew on the way to Vermillion City," Rick spat, throwing aside the blankets. "It had just been attacked by a wild Nidorino, and it was weak and dying. So I...I took it in my arms and dashed to the Pokémon Centre."

The Pokémon on the bed was curled into a little ball. It popped out, smiling, as it hugged Rick's arm. He smiled grimly and stroked its back. "I saved its life."

Ella didn't know what to say. She would have expected Rick to not care about it-it wasn't a spectacular Pokémon, not a particularly strong one, either. From the way he had treated everyone he had met in Pallet Town, leaving it behind to die would be what he would do, trying to make himself look like some sort of prodigy Trainer who didn't care about the lives of 'lesser Pokémon', as she had heard him address several different Pokémon.

This little bundle of sweetness didn't look like Rick's kind of Pokémon. She took out her Pokédex and scanned it.

"**Sandshrew, the Mouse Pokémon. It burrows and lives underground. If threatened, it curls itself up into a ball for protection.**"

Rick then turned to Victoria. "We're pretty much rivals now, huh?"

"Yep." Ella knew Victoria had wanted to smash Rick into the dust even before they had gotten Pokémon. When Rick had mercilessly bullied her, Victoria had settled as a sort of older sister, even though she was a year younger, and had settled as a protector, trying to stop Rick's bullying. While Simon had also taken up a similar position, he didn't do it as quickly as Victoria had done, and Victoria had always wanted Rick to pay for the years of torment he had made them all suffer, Ella worst of all.

Ella didn't really know much about the concept of rivals. Rivals were something for battlers, not nurses. But she did know that they were two individuals who shared the same goals most of the time, who wanted to best each other constantly.

"Then I'm gonna challenge you," replied Rick, still calm and collected. "I'm gonna challenge you to a battle. All of our Pokémon, together, tomorrow at noon."

"You're on!" yelled Victoria, not even considering everything that could go wrong. Ella sighed-sometimes Victoria just never learned.

"Great," smiled Rick, his smirk back. "C'mon, Sandshrew. I'm gonna get another room." He opened the door and left, leaving the silence in the air.

It was broken by Simon. "You shouldn't have agreed."

"What was I meant to do? Decline? He would have called me a coward!" Victoria sat down on her bed, grabbing the TV remote and turning it on. "You guys wanna watch anything?"

"I'm going to order some food," decided Ella, reaching for the Poké Gear in her pocket. "What do you guys want?"

They both wanted pizza, and Ella wanted some too. She dialed the number as Simon found the channel where the movie 'A Sweet Soirée' was playing. "Oh, great, I love musicals," smiled Simon as the Lucario was deciding between his dancing partner-the Froslass or the Gardevoir.

Victoria groaned. "Please, no Pokémon musicals. Brycen-man's on on Channel Six, can't we watch that?"

Simon rolled his eyes. "How about we watch Timegate Traveler? I love that one."

"That's the one Rosa Taylor was in, right?" asked Ella. "Oh, she's one of my favourite actresses. She's also a Coordinator, apparently."

Someone knocked on the door. Ella raced over, expecting pizza, but instead she saw the face of Hugo. He smiled. "I am meant to stay here, Ella. May I come in?"

"Oh, sure. We're watching Timegate Traveler." She beckoned for him to enter as the movie began. "Which one?" she asked Victoria as her Charmander popped up from behind her.

"Second," said Victoria as Hugo joined them. "He's staying here too? Is everyone staying here?"

"Do you mind?" Hugo asked as he sat up on the bed, watching the TV screen. His Pikachu jumped up to sit right beside him. "Me joining you."

"Oh, no, not at all," smiled Simon. He scratched Pikachu's cheek and it giggled. "We've got pizza coming soon."

"That sounds nice," Hugo said as the movie played. "Oh. This is a Pokéstar Studios production."

"Yeah. So?" asked Victoria as her Charmander began sitting next to Pikachu, with Bulbasaur waddling over to form a trio.

"I can kinda get where he's coming from," muttered Simon. "All Pokéstar Studios have produced are cliché after cliché. The musical business in Unova is so much more original."

"Everyone's a critic," Ella said as she got up to grab the pizza at the door. It was delivered by the round pink Pokémon with the egg in a pouch-Chansey, she remembered now. "Thanks," she told the Chansey as it smiled and walked off. She brought the pizza boxes over onto the floor, as Victoria immediately shrieked "PIZZA!" Pouncing upon the poor boxes, she grabbed hers and rushed back to her bed, devouring it in huge chunks.

"Thanks," Simon said to Ella as he took his. "Hugo, do you like meatlovers?"

"No. I am a vegetarian."

"Oh. Okay." Simon silently bit into his first slice as they all started to enjoy the movie.

It was a while before the silence was broken. While Rosa and the Ledian fought on the screen, Hugo began asking questions. "So, you are exploring Kanto. Do you find it enjoyable?"

"It's nice," smiled Ella. "You could come along. We'd love more company."

Hugo nodded. "That would be nice. When the Pokémon in Viridian Forest calm down, I might go with you. It would be a nice experience, to travel with friends."

Ella smiled. "I know." They stayed silent for the rest of the film as the night around them finished their first day of being Pokémon Trainers.


	4. The Battle

Victoria sat at the table, her pancakes untouched in front of her. Her Charmander on her left was digging into a slab of fresh meat, while Ella on her right was enjoying some nice Kalos toast. Simon was eating rashers of bacon with his scrambled eggs. Hugo was currently exploring the city

"C'mon, Victoria," Simon said to her. "You have to eat something before your battle." He finished his slice of bacon and smiled. "This is good stuff."

Victoria sighed. She wasn't hungry. When she had accepted Rick's challenge before, she had felt much happier, excited for the battle, but now she just felt empty.

What if she lost? She didn't know if she could deal with loss. Especially against Rick. Sure, he bragged, but he still made her feel...smaller when he did so. Like he was a better Trainer. And there was that thing with the Sandshrew...how was she meant to react to that?

"Victoria, are you listening?" Ella was looking at her, concerned. "It's the stress, isn't it?"

"Oh, no, I'm fine. What were we talking about?" Victoria smiled weakly at them. She knew they could see through it-she had been friends with them for years, they knew when she was nervous.

"I was suggesting that, after your battle, you guys can help me decide my Appeal for the Pokémon Contest," Simon told her. "I think it would be nice."

Victoria nodded. "Oh. Yeah, sure." She put a bit of pancake in her mouth-it tasted so good, cooked to perfection with maple syrup and butter. "This is good."

Suddenly her Poké Gear buzzed and she grabbed for her pocket. She checked who was ringing-her Mum, of course. She flipped it open. "Hey, Mum."

"Victoria! How are you? I assume your first day as a Pokémon Trainer went well?"

"Yeah, Mum, don't worry." Her mum's voice suddenly inspired her to finally get a start on her pancakes. Her mum had a sort of talent for that.

"Oh, that's so good, honey. Are Simon and Ella well? Is your Charmander doing okay?"

"Yeah, Mum, don't worry, we're fine. I'm just about to participate in a battle with Rick, and I'm feeling a bit nervous."

"Rick? Sweetheart, he's just a bully. You'll be fine. Call me later, I'm just about to finish the laundry." Her mum sounded busy, so Victoria took it as a hint to say goodbye and hang up.

"Oh, lighten up, Victoria!" insisted Ella, squeezing her arm encouragingly. "You're the best battler I know. Besides, I looked at a few notes about Eevee-it's average, only really notable for its unstable genetics and wide array of evolutions. He's only got that and a Sandshrew, you'll dominate him."

Victoria smiled. "Thanks, Ella."

"Greetings." Hugo had arrived, his Pikachu munching on a Berry on his shoulder. Victoria didn't trust him-not completely, not like Simon and Ella. He was nice, sure, but she had never even heard of a Pokémon Tamer before, and he seemed...a bit wild.

He took a seat as Simon was snapped from his daydream. "Oh, Hugo! You're here." He scratched Pikachu behind its ears and it smiled.

"Yes." Hugo smiled, and Ella returned it. He turned to Victoria. "Is this your first battle?"

"No. I fought Ella on my way here, but she demolished me. But this is my first legit Pokémon battle." She took a sip of her coffee, which was unusually creamy and warm-she preferred strong, dark coffee, if she had coffee at all.

"But I thought Ella was a Pokémon nurse?" Hugo turned to face her as Ella blushed, tucking a stray hair behind her ear.

"I'm actually not that bad," she admitted. "I know all sorts of moves and what they do. But I want to help Pokémon grow with care and health, not battling."

"Hmm." Simon put his fingers to his chin, as if he were thinking. Victoria knew he did this when he found something interesting. "We all have different ways of how we want to raise our Pokémon." He pointed at Victoria. "Victoria wants them to get stronger through experience and battling determination. I want my Pokémon to grow and become comfortable as Pokémon and as performers." He gestured to Ella. "Ella wants to raise her Pokémon healthy and through compassion." And he looked at Hugo quizzically. "And Hugo wants his Pokémon to be trained in the most natural way possible. Am I right?"

"Indeed." Hugo smiled as Victoria took another sip of her coffee. She was always amazed at how quickly Simon was able to analyse situations and people-he had immediately declared she wanted to be a battler seconds after meeting her, when they were seven.

Suddenly her Poké Gear buzzed yet again. She checked the number and saw that it was hidden. "Probably a prank call," Simon told her as he fed Charmander a slice of bacon. Charmander squealed in response.

She flipped it open and answered the call. "Hello?"

"Victoria." It was Rick. "I've changed the battle location."

"Rick! How did you get my Poké Gear number?" A strange sense of paranoia built inside of her. Was he stalking her? If so, how long had he been doing so? She shivered, tempted to drag the phone away from herself, but this was important.

"The battle's taking place in the Trainer House," he told her. "It's in the centre of town. I booked us an opening for a battle-an official Pokémon League battle."

"Uh-huh. How did you get my number?"

"That's not important. Be there soon, I'm already here."

"That's great, it really is. How did you get my number?"

"See you in two hours." There was a beep as he hung up on her.

She closed her Poké Gear, shaking her head. "How did he get my number?"

"Does it matter?" asked Ella, as she was stroking Charmander. "What did he tell you?"

"The battle place has been changed. We're battling at the Trainer House. It's in the centre of town, apparently."

"Really?" Simon shrugged. His plate was empty in front of him. He put down his cutlery and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "I would have thought he would have told you about the Gym-"

"THERE'S A GYM?" Victoria immediately stood up, slamming her hands on the Gym. There was a Gym? In Viridian City? Why didn't he tell her? Scratch that, why didn't she know? She was so invested in the whole idea of fighting a Gym Leader-

"Victoria, stop it, you're breaking the table," complained Simon. Victoria grinned sheepishly and carefully took her hands off the table.

"Let's go," muttered Ella.

"Yes, we should be heading to our next location," said Hugo, his Pikachu landing on his shoulder. "The Trainer House?"

"Screw the Trainer House, I'm going to the Gym!" Victoria returned her Charmander to its Poké Ball and pocketed it. "Oh, I wonder what type the Leader specialises in! Rock, maybe? No, that's Pewter City. Uh, what about Ice? Is there an Ice gym in Kanto?"

"I'll pay for the food," groaned Simn as he slowly slid out of his chair. He drew out his card and walked towards the desk as Ella, Victoria and Hugo waited.

"How can he pay for such an expensive meal at a restaurant like this?" wondered Hugo.

"Didn't you know? Simon's parents are pretty wealthy businesspeople from Kalos," explained Ella.

Deciding to skip ahead, Victoria strolled out of the diner, heading down the road. Sure, she didn't know where the Gym was, but if she looked around hard enough, she could find it. Viridian City wasn't so big, even when compared to Pallet Town.

"Victoria! Wait up!" Simon, Ella and Hugo were own the road, Ella smiling and waving. Victoria smiled and ran up to them.

"You were heading tp the Gym, weren't you?" asked Simon when she approached. "I understand-I was going to try and work on a Contest appeal."

Victoria frowned; the term 'Contest appeal' didn't seem familiar to me. "Uh, what's that?"

Simon looked at her, annoyed. "I already told you a million times in Pallet Town. The first round of a Contest is showing off your Pokémon and making the Judges see your routine as unique and appealing."

"Oh." Still didn't ring any bells.

She shrugged, deciding to head down the way, smiling. "I'll challenge the Gym Leader and get my first Badge and then I'll rub it in Rick's face. Good plan?"

"Um..." Ella decided to walk by her, frowning. "You have two Pokémon, one of which has never seen a real battle. Honestly, I think you're, uh...screwed." She blushed when she said that last word.

"So what? It's only Viridian City. Everyone knows that the Gyms in this area aren't very high in difficulty, because it's near Pallet Town and it's kinda where all the newbies start from, because of Professor Oak and all that." They headed down the corner, passing a few people. Victoria picked up her Charmander, which was walking beside them, and held it in her arms. The fire inside it helped warm her up, especially since winter was coming.

Simon adjusted his glasses as he walked. "I'll watch, if only to see you be utterly decimated."

"Uh...thanks?" Sometimes Simon was just weird in his honesty. "I'll try not to fail, don't worry."

"It's hard not to," encouraged Ella, smiling. "I'm sure you'll be fine. Oh, there it is!"

Victoria turned to look, and her breath was taken away. A huge building had been set out in the middle of the street, made from some kind of metal, with two huge sliding doors made from glass with a neon Poké Ball sign above it. Two people dressed in business suits stood outside the door, holding pamphlets. The boy had short, spiky blue hair and a cheerful face, while the woman wasn't smiling and had long, silky red hair.

"It looks nice," noticed Hugo. "Very...strong and sturdy." Simon nodded in agreement.

Ella sighed. "It looks a bit...too intimidating. Ask those guys out front for help, Victoria."

Victoria decided to take her advice, heading up to the cheerful guy at the gate. "Hey, my name's Victoria and I was looking to challenge the Gym Leader, do I just go in, or-?"

"Oh, I'm sorry." The man really looked apologetic. He sighed. "The Leader's been out for a while, you see-he has important business meetings and runs a company all over Kanto, so you'll have to come back, say, after the holiday break and challenge him then." He held out his hand. "I'm Apollo, nice to meet you."

They shook hands, Victoria noticing his firm grip. Apollo smiled and handed out a pamphlet. "This is a recruitment letters. I'm part of a huge organisation called Razzo that the Gym Leader of this place is also a part of. We help provide for uncared Pokémon, as well as help people sell rare artefacts and other stuff. We've got loads of departments, do your friends want to join?"

"Um..." Victoria had never heard of an organisation with such a weird name. Still, she was a bit curious. "Can I take one?"

"Oh, sure. Just sign a form and take it to Celadon City, where our headquarters are." Apollo smiled. "These pamphlets are for our science division-we're really pushing that right now. My partner, Athena, has pamphlets about becoming more physical members."

The redhead smiled as Victoria walked up. "Hello, miss. A pamphlet, just fill it in and give it to the front desk of our headquarters in Celadon City." Victoria walked away, reading the pamphlet.

A big red R was at the top of the page, followed with a description of several companies and charities the organisation supported-they seemed to be interested in funding Pokémon Centres across Kanto and Johto, helped keep the Kanto Power Plant going and were big investors in helping the Pokémon League themselves, paying for Gyms, repairs, any injuries a Pokémon or battler may sustain, and helped support people in times of financial duress.

"What's that?" asked Simon, taking it and scanning the page. "Hmm. They support a lot of companies, and they seem to place a big emphasis on money..."

"You don't actually think they do that much, do you?" Ella wondered. "I mean, it seems like a lot of money to spend, where would they get it all?"

Victoria shrugged. "The Gym's closed for now, which sucks. I'll come back here after Pewter City, see if he shows up." She pocketed the pamphlet, heading down the street. "So, I guess it's time for Rick's battle."

"Be careful, Victoria," Hugo warned her as they headed down the road. "You don't know what you signed into. This is an official League match, you just can't turn it down."

Victoria smiled. But that feeling of nervousness was already growing inside her. She shuddered as she was suddenly overcome by a mental image of Rick pointing and laughing as she cried in the middle of the battlefield, hugging her unconscious Charmander and Pidgey.

"Is this the Trainer House?" she asked quickly, pointing at a big square building in the centre of the street. A big neon sign with a glowing Poké Ball was above it, flashing red and white across the building.

"It appears so," said Hugo, as they walked up to it. "It would seem all the roads do lead to it after all."

They headed up, Hugo feeding his Pikachu a Berry as it sat on his shoulder. A big bouncer stood outside, and a crowd of Trainers looked upset as they waited around him. "Do we just approach him?" asked Victoria. He was huge, wearing sunglasses, with a buzzcut and a black suit, like in movies.

"Go," muttered Simon. "They're probably expecting you."

Victoria approached the crowd just as a few more people joined. "What's going on?" she asked one of the people waiting, a girl with brown hair in Spoink-tails and wearing a nice yellow dress.

"Don't you know?" the girl asked, incredulous. "Before, you could just stroll up to the Trainer House and the head would just let you battle anyone. But now there's so much more procedure, like booking a battle and stuff, and you have to show ID and your Trainer Card and everything."

"Oh." Victoria felt a bit lucky that Rick had booked a battle and saved them hours of agony. She quickly made her way through the crowd, up to the huge bouncer, who glared at her through his sunglasses. She smiled. "I have a reservation, for Victoria Gold and Rick Ashman, please."

"Hmm."The bouncer checked his list, scanning. "Uh-huh. Yes, you seem to be in here. Get inside."

"Excuse me, sir, my friends were planning to watch, may they come as well?" Victoria gestured to the three of them as they walked up. "Simon Astré, Isabella Winters and Hugo..."

"Manning."

"Yeah, Hugo Manning."

The bouncer took notes. He asked for Trainer cards, the number of Pokémon everyone had and a few other questions before gesturing them inside. There was complete uproar with the crowd, yelling as the four of them were escorted inside by a nice young lady in a secretary uniform.

"Right this way," she told them as they descended down the tunnel. Victoria noticed a picture of a few students and a grinning teacher on the wall. "The Trainer House used to be a school for young Pokémon Trainers, before it was turned into a battling facility," explained the woman as they headed into a huge arena.

A battle was raging in the battlefield, between two Pokémon Victoria recognised from her studies-a Diglett and a Cyndaquil, with both Trainers on the sidelines, barking orders. Victoria headed over as she saw Rick in the stands, drinking some lemonade and looking bored.

"You guys head up, I'll wait here," she told her friends, as they headed up into the bleachers. Victoria saw the guy who seemed to be judging, looking like he was in his late teens. His hair was long and spiky, and some orange colour. He was smiling as he watched the battle, as Cyndaquil fired a blast of fire straight at the Diglett.

"Hey," Victoria said to him as she approached. "I'm Victoria Gold, my battle's next, am I right?"

He turned to face her, smiling. "Hey, Victoria. I'm Blue. Blue Oak." He offered her a hand to shake and she took it. It had a firm grip.

"You must be Professor Oak's grandson," she theorised. The Professor had spoken about his grandson for ages, remembering older times, when Blue was a teenager.

"And you're one of his students, am I right?"

"Yep." They stood watching the battle. The two Trainers yelled commands as the Pokémon battled on.

"Cyndaquil, use Flamethrower!"

The Pokémon opened its mouth wide. Flames burst forth, flying at the Diglett and almost hitting it. The Pokémon ducked its head under the ground. Victoria watched as she walked over to her friends, sitting down with them.

"That's Blue Oak," muttered Simon. "God, the amount of times the Professor went on about him..."

"He seemed nice," Victoria told them, as the Diglett burst from the soil straight into Cyndaquil, knocking the poor Pokémon out.

"Cyndaquil is unable to battle!" cried Blue, raising a hand to Diglett's Trainer. "The victor is Kyle!" Kyle fist-pumped in celebration as the loser rolled his eyes and walked out the door.

"I'm up," breathed Victoria. That awful feeling was back again.

"It will be okay, Victoria," Hugo told her, trying to reassure her. "You will be amazing. Oh, look, here's Rick."

Rick was walking up to them, that arrogant smirk on his face. He came up to Victoria. "Just telling you, the battle's being recorded. I'm gonna show my victory to all of Pallet Town."

"Shut up, Rick," complained Simon. "We've heard your stuff before. And Victoria's definitely going to win, she has a moral compass."

"Just keep your face out of any things that don't concern you," Rick snapped at him. He then noticed Hugo. "Who's this? Some homeless guy is your moral support?"

"Don't be a jerk," Victoria told him. "Hugo's a Pokémon Tamer. He can actually talk to Pokémon."

"Tauros! No one can do that."

"And I actually do have a home, in Lavender Town," Hugo pointed out. "I just look like this because I spent six years as a nomad."

There was a bit of an awkward pause until Rick said "You're still gonna go down, Victoria."

He then left, heading down. Victoria felt angry. How dare he gloat about a win he hadn't even got yet? How dare he offend her friends like that?

Pikachu growled on Hugo's shoulder, as if showing her sympathy. Charmander hissed. "Language," Hugo chided his Pikachu, as it jumped off his shoulder and Ella scratched it behind the ears.

"Go," Simon encouraged her. "You'll be great."

She headed down, her Charmander leaping in front of her and scampering on all fours to the bottom. Rick smirked at her as she took her place, Charmander by her side. She held out her Poké Ball and returned it with a straight beam of red light.

"You guys ready?" asked Blue, smiling. They both answered with a nod. "Alright-begin!"

"Go, Pidgey!" cried Victoria, tossing the Poké Ball straight in the air. Rick didn't say anything, only throwing a Poké Ball as well. It burst open, revealing an Eevee standing there, its glare on its face.

"Use Gust, Pidgey!"

Pidgey just tweeted, looking at her with a sort of annoyed look.

"Do you want me to translate?" called Hugo. "With or without censoring?"

"Eevee, Tackle!"

Eevee let out a battle-cry, running quickly to Pidgey, who had a bored look on its face. Just before it landed, it flapped its great wings, sending a gust of air that made Eevee go flying.

"Good job, Pidgey! Now, Peck!"

Pidgey fixed that annoyed look on her again. "What, you don't know Peck?"

"Eevee, Shadow Ball, let's go!"

Eevee's mouth opened wide, and a ball of black and purple plasma began to grow in front of it. Pidgey looked at it in despair, as the ball grew to the size of a volleyball before Eevee sent it straight at Pidgey. The projectile was fast as a bullet, and struck Pidgey. It exploded into smoke as Pidgey was sent across the battlefield, struggling to get up.

"That's it, Pidgey, get up! Gust again!" Victoria's hope clung onto the little bird-she couldn't lose Pidgey, not now.

However, Pidgey seemed more eager to preen its feathers then actually fight. Victoria growled in frustration. "Pidgey, attack!"

Pidgey fixed a hard stare at her, and Victoria didn't need a translator to know it was saying no.

"Okay, Eevee, let's try this out-Take Down!"

Eevee yelled a battle cry as its body became surrounded in a faint pale aura. It sped along, slamming straight into Pidgey. The poor bird Pokémon skidded on the floor of the battlefield as Simon, Ella and Hugo cringed.

Pidgey managed to feebly stand up, wincing. "C'mon, Pidgey!" yelled Victoria, but it was all for nothing-Pidgey just collapsed, unconscious.

"Pidgey is unable to battle!" declared Blue. "Victoria must send out her final Pokémon!"

Damn, Victoria thought, as she drew out her Charmander's Poké Ball. "Go, Charmander!"

The light burst and Charmander fell, smiling cheerfully. Victoria smiled-she could count on Charmander. She had to. "Use an Ember attack, Charmander!"

Charmander jumped up-Victoria had managed to teach it the move with Ella's help the night before. The edges of Charmander's mouth began to burn with fire as Charmander opened its maw, sending an attack of doxens of tiny, red-hot embers flying straight for Eevee.

Eevee wasn't so lucky as the embers slammed him into a wall, burn marks popping up where they struck. Eevee struggled for a while, but collapsed, defeated.

"Eevee is unable to battle!" Blue called, as Rick returned it. "Rick must send in his next Pokémon!"

Rick just smirked. "Spearow, let's go!"

In a flash of light, a bird Pokémon not unlike Pidgey burst out of the Poké Ball, flying into the air and diving straight down, leaving only a few brown feathers in the air to float down aimlessly.

"A Spearow," Victoria realised. She whipped out her Pokédex and scanned the bird Pokémon. "**Spearow, the Tiny Bird Pokémon. Being very protective of its territory, it flaps its short wings busily to dart around at high speeds.**"

"Charmander, Ember again!"

"Spearow, use a Wing Attack!"

Spearow's wings lit up with a glowing blue aura as it flew forward, wings pointed like daggers at Charmander, its target. The small embers bounced off them harmlessly, as Spearow made a wide slashing move with its wing, causing Charmander to fall on its back, the mark of a wound on its belly. It screeched in pain as Spearow began pecking it mercilessly, each peck making Charmander howl in pain.

"Stop it!" cried Victoria, watching her Pokémon flail around on the ground. Spearow was relentless, and each peck made her feel as if she was being hit as well.

"Spearow, use another Wing Attack!" cried Rick.

Spearow flew up in an arc, wings glowing once again. With a shrieking battle cry, it dove down, its wings forming razors in the air as it slashed against Charmander, who was struggling to stand. Feebly, Charmander tried to recover, but it shook, almost collapsing, before it closed its eyes and fell to the ground, unconscious.

"The winner-Rick Ashman!" cried Blue, raising his hand to him as Victoria ran across the field to grab the poor Pokémon. Rick smirked at Victoria as she cradled her unconscious Charmander. Anger and shame built up inside her-she had lost.

Lost. That word seemed so familiar but so alien at the same time. All her life, she had dreamed of finally defeating Rick...and she hadn't.

"Let me look at him." Ella, Simon and Hugo were next to her, and Ella had spoken. Victoria said nothing, just handed the Pokémon to her. Ella began inspecting the scratches and wounds Charmander had accumulated during the battle. "Oh, no, we've got to get him to a doctor soon. His flame's nearly out, and he's not breathing well, that Spearow must have damaged his air systems..."

"Let's head out, okay?" suggested Simon. "Victoria, I'll begin practicing for a Contest appeal, you can watch me, yeah?"

She nodded, unaware of anything. She stood up and returned Charmander to its Poké Ball as Hugo gave her a sad smile. "You did well, Victoria. Do not doubt yourself-you fought rather valiantly." His Pikachu smiled at her, a Berry in its paw. It gestured for her to take it, and she did so.

"I was thinking..." Ella was saying to Simon as they headed down the tunnel, Blue waving at them as another match started. "I want to apply for a nurse job in Pewter City when we get there. For two weeks, so I can learn mire traditional methods of helping Pokémon."

"That sounds cool," smiled Simon. "You'll be fine, you're one of the best nurses I know."

Ella smiled at him, just as Victoria sighed. Rick ran past them, grinning mockingly at Victoria, his Spearow perched on his shoulder. Victoria felt like just curling into a ball and crying.

"Do you guys hear that?" Simon asked, cocking his head to the side.

"What do you hear?" Hugo asked.

"A...buzzing sound. Like loads of Bug Pokémon."

Now that she thought of it, she did hear a really faint but growing buzzing, like some great swarm of bees were outside. A great swarm...

"The swarm is here," Hugo whispered, and for the first time Victoria heard fear in his voice.

They ran for the doors, seeing that they had been blasted open. Rick was nowhere to be seen, as was the mob outside of the Trainer House. But what attracted their attention was the multitude of Bug Pokémon streaming through the streets.

The swarm surged forward, Beedrill and Venomoth alike, even a few Butterfree, swarming around buzzing. Occasionally they would fire an attack, such as a Psybeam or a Twineedle, and create small craters in the roads and cause buildings to splinter.

Their buzzing was louder than ever as Ella just whispered, "We're in deep trouble, aren't we?"


	5. The Swarm

Pikachu jumped off Hugo's shoulder, crying for help. Hugo sometimes wished he would just sit and talk, but that wasn't the Pikachu way. The Pikachu way was screaming for help at the top of your lungs.

"We've got to find shelter!" cried Ella, looking flustered. She brushed parts of her hair out of her face, and she seemed stressed. "Go to the Pokémon Centre, or some building-"

"Ella! We're stuck in a crisis! No one will open their door for us!" Simon yelled at her. She sighed and shook her head, panting heavily.

"Guys, let's just go," muttered Victoria, as the Beedrill began firing straight at the small building acrossthe road.

Pikachu jumped straight in front of Hugo, eyes twinkling with an idea. He smiled and small sparks if electricity flew from his red cheeks.

"No, I am not using him," snapped Hugo. "He's far too dangerous-"

Pikachu rolled its eyes, jumping up and landing on a broken fence, pointing down the street. "Head down the street?" asked Hugo. "Would that be safe?"

"Who cares, let's just go!" yelled Victoria, as they ran down the street. This was not the best plan, they soon realised-moving quickly, the swarm soon found them, and the Beedrill descended.

"Can you talk to them, Pikachu?" Hugo asked his companion. Pikachu shrugged, jumoing up and crying things in small squeaks and a few sparks from his cheeks. The Beedrill didn't respond.

"Oh, come on!" cried Simon. They had just realised that the roads were being blocked by a wall of ice-obviously a precaution for keeping the threat in.

Ella started panting as she looked behind them. "They're gaining on us!"

"It's okay, Ella," Victoria encouraged, grabbing her by the arm. "There!" She pointed at an alley and, without thinking, they darted towards it, the Pokémon following.

Suddenly there was a flash and Ella screamed; a Beedrill had taken to firing a Twineedle. Twin bolts of white light burst from its drill-like growths on its hands. They were aimed at their heads, but they kept on running.

"Pikachu, ThunderShock!" ordered Hugo. Pikachu did not hesitate-jumping up, it fired bolts of electricity at the chasers, making them fall back. "Go, go!" he urged the others, and they did not hesitate as well, sprinting down the street.

Pikachu growled as he landed on Hugo's shoulder yet again, sparking wildly. "No, he is not an option," Hugo whispered to him, but at the same time he almost grabbed the Poké Ball that he was kept in.

"What are you talking about?" asked Ella, as they ran around a corner, the swarm gaining on them.

"Uh, I forgot to mention," Hugo began to explain, jumping over a fallen trash can as they kept running. "Pikachu isn't my only Pokémon. I also have-"

Suddenly a blast of white energy hit the floor at his feet. Feeling the heat through his shoes, he jumped up, as Pikachu fired another bolt of lightning at the Beedrill who fired it. "Talk later, let's go!" ordered Simon, and they headed even further down the alley, panting for breath.

Victoria swore as they reached a brick wall. "What are we going to do?"

Hugo could see the swarm, buzzing behind them. They had stopped at the entrance to the blocked-off alley, as if taunting the group about their losses. A Meowth hissed at them and threw itself into a garbage bin.

"Oh, no," whispered Ella. A Beedrill began to float closer, drills glowing bright as it prepared to fire.

"Duck!" Simon managed to roll behind a garbage bin and the Beedrill fired a blast straight at him, sending the bin flying.

"We need a Fire-type!" cried Hugo, with Pikachu firing even more bolts in the air, but the Beedrill seemed to have learnt how to avoid them. They sped around, firing more shots as Ella, Victoria, Hugo and Simon scrambled for cover.

Then one hit Ella, a purple blast that struck her in the chest and sent her flying. The Beedrill hummed with victory, as they swarmed, heading for her. Ella was lying on the ground, purple oozing in her chest, breathing heavily. Simon was grabbing her, urging her to hold on. Victoria looked at the swarm, making a fighting stance, although the chances of her surviving were a million to one.

Hugo had to use him.

"Pinsir, go!" He tossed the Poké Ball into the air, sending most Beedrill and Venomoth back. They buzzed in curiosity, as the burst of light that accompanied a Pokémon emerging flashed out and knocked them all back.

Pinsir stood on a dumpster, creating small holes where its feet had left imprints. Its horns gleamed with some kind of energy, and it screamed a horrible battle cry that made Hugo want to curl up into a ball and cry.

"Oh, God," he whispered. "Please, listen..." He cleared his throat. "Pinsir, use a Megahorn attack!"

Not surprisingly, Pinsir ignored him.

It screamed again, firing a blast of energy from the centre of its horns and leaving a chunk of building missing. A Beedrill buzzed right up to it, and Pinsir's arm glowed white and it punched it into the ground, leaving a crater. A Venomoth tried to fly away, and Pinsir grabbed its wing and tore a hole through the delicate material, throwing the Venomoth off-balance. It shrieked as Pinsir fired another Hyper Beam, and the entire swarm began to scatter as Pinsir ran rampant around the city.

Hugo forgot about Pinsir and ran to Ella. She was gasping in the corner, her chest sparking with purple energy. "It was a Poison Jab," muttered Simon as he searched through the bag. "We need to get her to a hospital-"

"I never knew you had such a...devastating Pokémon," whispered Victoria to Hugo. She seemed almost scared, frightened by his display of power. "How did you-?"

Suddenly Pinsir growled, its horns glowing as it fired another beam of white energy straight at the swarm. A Buttefree screeched as it fell. "That thing's out of control!" yelled Simon. "Keep it away from her!"

Pinsir growled again as Simon struggled in picking up Ella, Victoria jumping to help. Hugo decided to help anyway he could. "Pinsir! Return!" He held out his Poké Ball, and the familiar red light zapped out, but Pinsir...resisted, somehow. It pulsed red, before the Poké Ball shuddered and the red light faded away.

"Leave it!" yelled Victoria, as Pinsir fired a blast of energy into the now-vacant sky. Simon nodded, and they began running down the alley.

Pinsir saw them. Bristling, it readied a bolt of energy to beam at them, and Hugo saw it coming. "Pikachu, ThunderSh-!"

Without so much as a word, Pinsir cried out and fell, its eyes losing consiousness. Behind it stood a duo, a man and a woman, wearing black uniforms with large red R's on them. They had short hair hidden by black caps, and the girl held a gun sparking with electricity.

Hugo's features twisted in rage. "You killed him!" He hadn't liked Pinsir-he was far too murderous and too hars to contain, but now he was gone, he felt...

"He isn't dead," snapped the woman, pocketing her gun. "Only stunned. And you'll never see him again, so don't worry." Her companion held up his hand, and Hugo noticed he was holding a similar gun-shaped thing, and then he fired straight for Victoria.

Victoria moved quickly, jumping back and letting the spark shot at her fizzle against the wall. Ella was dropped and Simon screamed, as Pikachu fired another blast of electricity. Hugo himself ran over to Pinsir, grabbing his Poké Ball out and returning it with a flash of red light.

"Maybe we should have thought this through..." muttered the man, as the woman was sent knocked into a wall by the lightning. She groaned, and Hugo stood up.

"We need to get Ella to a hospital!" cried Victoria, as the man shot at her. He was terrible, though, and he ended up shooting her in the leg. She cried out and Simon rushed to her, as Pikachu shrieked and tackled the man.

Hugo ignored the scuffle, sprinting over to the injured Ella. "Oh, my God!"

"Will I be...okay?" she whispered.

Simon shook his head. "A hospital. We need to get her to the Pokémon Centre. C'mon, Hugo, help Victoria!"

Victoria was collapsed on the ground, using her hands to keep herself up. Pikachu had managed to knock the man out, and was scampering over to join them. Hugo went over to Victoria, who had started to prod her leg coated in electricity.

"Who the heck were they?" she groaned, her face in complete agony. "Ugh...I can't...it..."

"Who were those people?" asked Simon, picking up Ella. He grunted, trying to support her, as she became limp from exhaustion. "I've seen that R somewhere before..."

"Thanks, Pikachu," smiled Victoria weakly. Pikachu smiled and she scratched its ear playfully. Hugo wondered what it would be like for her, not having to deal with such a dangerous powerhouse all the time. He sighed.

And then felt something smash into his back.

He screamed, lightning arching up his back and circling his body as the woman laughed. "What's the matter, baby? Too scared of me?"

She fired again into his back, and the pain returned, blinding pain that made hi sink to his knees. She laughed again and Simon stood up, panting. Hugo couldn't think-the pain was too strong, like a million hot daggers stabbing into his back. He screamed again, and then Simon yelled something out.

Then something happened that surprised them all.

"Vulpix, Ember!"

There was a flash of flame as Vulpix burst through the alley, fire roaring. Hugo would have been surprised if he wasn't busy dealing with the pain.

Simon yelled orders, as Hugo felt his eyes closing. So much pain...so much pain...and only sleep would help...


End file.
